


A Dance in a Diner

by cilceon



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:14:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24157204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cilceon/pseuds/cilceon
Summary: A violent clap of lightning cued the tightening of Wanderer’s shoulders. “Ah shit,” She sighed looking towards the greening sky, “Dee, how close are we to Diamond City?”He knew she didn’t need to ask him. This was her city once upon a time. Regardless, Deacon didn’t skip a beat as he stopped besides her, licked his finger, and shot it upwards. She halfheartedly rolled her eyes at him as he spoke. “Too far for me to want to run to, Boss.”“Great. Okay let’s see here. We’re on Mass Avenue so that means,” Wanderer pointed to the corner building on their left, almost smacking him in the throat with her hand as she did so. “That right there is Miss Milly’s. A lot of the guys I went to law school with ate there.”“Think I’ll get a discount if I tell ‘em I'm a student?” He mused as the pair went to the door. “What do kids get at these things again? Shakes? Love me a good shake.”
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	A Dance in a Diner

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ  
> hey there! i hated this story so i rewrote a better version with over 1k more words and a better closing! please check it out [Links Right Here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27292720)

_hi there, author here! im writing in the story like a heathen in case the notes got missed....i have a way better version of this fic up (the links in the notes & everything) please check it out!!_

A violent clap of lightning cued the tightening of Wanderer’s shoulders. “Ah shit,” She sighed looking towards the greening sky, “Dee, how close are we to Diamond City?”

He knew she didn’t need to ask him. This was her city once upon a time. Regardless, Deacon didn’t skip a beat as he stopped besides her, licked his finger, and shot it upwards. She halfheartedly rolled her eyes at him as he spoke. “Too far for me to want to run to, Boss.”

“Great. Okay let’s see here. We’re on Mass Avenue so that means,” Wanderer pointed to the corner building on their left, almost smacking him in the throat with her hand as she did so. “That right there is Miss Milly’s. A lot of the guys I went to law school with ate there.”

“Think I’ll get a discount if I tell ‘em I'm a student?” He mused as the pair went to the door. “What do kids get at these things again? Shakes? Love me a good shake.”

Wanderer hummed, playing along, as she pulled the door open slowly. Cautiously as to not tip off any unsuspecting raider on the other side, just like he showed her. “Then you’ll love their strawberry ones I’m sure. Though they haven’t been the same since Joann left. She always put- What the hell?” Besides from the skeletons in a few of the booths and sitting at the corner of the bar, the diner was… empty. The jukebox against the back wall, on the other hand, was glowing with life. An old piano ballad Wanderer knew but couldn't quite place leaked out of it.

She heard the soft clicking of Deacon taking the safety of his rifle off next to her as she did the same with Deliverer. “Well this is downright creepy.” Deacon muttered her thoughts.

“Somebody was here recently, there's a lantern on that table. They might be in the back room so, ya’ know, be careful.” It was barely a whisper, but she knew he heard her. He always heard her.

“Shouldn’t I be telling you to be careful?” They moved like the well-oiled machine they had become over the last few months. Slowly, with Wanderer in front and Deacon close behind, watching her back.

Of course, the back room was a mess. The shelves must’ve fallen over when the bombs hit, or maybe a pissed super mutant was let loose. She had found it a hard distinction to make between the two. “Well, whoever they were they're gone now. The door out front is the only one into this place. We should be fine till the storm passes.”

“Keyword is ‘should’ Wander,” Deacon mumbled as he slung is rifle back to its home, over his shoulder. “’Should’ doesn’t mean ‘will’.”

“I know Deacon, I know.” She sighed, setting Deliverer down on the table without a second though, next to the lantern so she could light it while Deacon plopped down in one of the booths facing the door. He wished she’d stop doing that. Leaving the gun anywhere but on her person. But from her tone, he decides against saying anything about it this time. She had retorted in the way she did when she was starting to get lost in thought, when Wanderer truly started to wander. Leaving to places he couldn’t quite see, couldn’t follow.

“So how ‘bout that something-berry shake, Miss Waitress?” He stretched his arms out across the length of the table and she walked over to sit opposite her partner. Not facing the exit. Was she trusting him to keep point? No, more likely the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Another thing to work on and damnit, Deliverer was still on the counter.

“Why of course sir, may I interest you in our senior discount as well?”

The look on his face was priceless as she snapped him out of his forming checklist. She was sure his eyes were popped wide open in mock surprise under his glasses. He sat up straight and put his hand over his t-shirt as he spoke. “Now here I was growing my hair out to fit in with all you youngsters, I mean really what's the point if even my best pal thinks I'm sixty-five?”

Though he kept it short, Deacon stopped shaving his head somewhere after “the big talk”, as he put it, and Wanderer blowing up the Institute. Even though she wasn't a hundred percent sure why he stopped doing it. She was glad he did. The silvering, orange suited him better than the black wig he’d still put on depending on where she dragged him to, despite it being a lot more noticeable. Not too many gingers in the Commonwealth, but then again, not many people wear sunglasses in the middle of the night inside some decrepit building.

Wanderer smiled over at him as she rested her chin on her hands. “I wouldn't say sixty-five per say. Tom and I did a little bit of brainstorming and a little bit of math and I have you pinned to around 40 actually.”

Deacon copied her posture and set his chin down. “Oh really? And how old does our dear Tinker Tom think I am.”

“Time travelers don't have set ages remember?” She waved her hand off to the side. The piano coming out of the jukebox faded and was replaced with the machine’s claw putting the cassette back into its slot and picking another. It was quiet at first, the violin, but she knew what it was. A version of Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne. Nate could play it, like he could so many other songs. It was always funny to her. Her Nathan, always the strong military man with the heart of gold, forced into violin lessons by his mother. He used to play for her when they were in high school, he was always nervous the football team would find out, she always reassured him they wouldn't care. He would always smile and shrug. That was before their beautiful baby, Shaun. Before the draft. Before the war-

“Charlie?” Deacon whispered setting his hand gingerly on her own,  
She snapped her attention away from the lights of the jukebox. Deacon only called her, her name if it was important, when he was worried about her. Like when she convinced him to go inside Salem’s old museum and she almost bled out from that deathclaw. “Sorry Dee, I just… I ah, just used to really like that song s’all.” She closed her eyes as the melody ended too quickly. Always too quickly. “I used to hear it a lot.”

The next cassette started, and Deacon smiled. His ‘hey, I’m sad too. I understand how you're feeling but we have each other’ smile. “Would you look at that? The DJ listened to my request.” He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Now I haven’t danced in a few whatever’s but what kinda best pal would I didn’t dance with mine once in a while?”

“Dee are you sure?” Wanderer stood up slowly looking at his outstretched hand. “I’m terrible at dancin’.”

He shrugged. “Eh, well good thing there shouldn’t be anybody in here right?”

Puffing her cheeks at him, she took his hand. “Yeah, yeah whatever don’t complain when I get your pretty blue chucks all scuffed up.”

“I have faith in ya’ Boss, don’t worry.” He pulled her close to him, which was out of character for Deacon if they were near anything that could breathe, as he took her out to the center of the black and white tiled floor. He set his hand not holding Wanderer’s own on her hip.

It was a ghost of a touch, like he was scared she was made of glass and he could break her if he moved to fast. He probably could. Then again, the same could be said of the other way around. How much of that faith had he placed into Wanderer?

A lot. More than anyone else in a long, long time. How easy it would've been for her to destroy the Railroad. Or just to stayed down there with Father. How easy it would've been just to say “aw man well that sucks for them good thing I’m not there” when she found out the Brotherhood was coming for HQ. Despite all the lies he's told her and others, Wanderer believed with all her heart what he told her about his past or at least that there was truth weaved in. He must have been so scared she’d look at him with disgust and call him a monster. Instead she hugged him despite his protest, and she continued to stay by his side like he always did for her.

Their dancing was more of a slow swaying side to side than anything. But occasionally, he would spin her, and they would both start chuckling softly. It was beautiful. For a moment Charlie forgot that they were in a decaying building surrounded by the long since dead with an apocalyptic storm outside. She forgot about the job the two of them were on for Carington and the thing Sturges needed help fixing back in Sanctuary. She forgot about everything terrible she had done since October, when she woke up. All the people she had killed. It was just Charlie dancing in a diner with her best friend. Nate was sitting in a booth across from Barbra laughing at the two of them. Cogsworth was at home with Shaun, maybe he was babysitting Dee and Babs’ kids too. Tomorrow RJ and Lucy were coming over so Shaun and Duncan could have more time together before school started up again. Everything was…okay.  
But the song came to a close as Deacon spun her around one last time. They looked at each other out of breath, grinning like idiots. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then another flash of lighting went off outside and their smiles grew even bigger and they started laughing. The kind of laugh that makes a person’s sides hurt. “I think I saw some Blam Co. boxes back there.” Deacon looked towards the back room. “You up for a two-person mac and cheese party?”  
“Well I mean, it’s no milkshake fiesta but sure why not Dee.” She glanced over at the booth they were sitting at. Deacon’s gun was lying on the table, she hadn’t noticed him setting it down.


End file.
